All posts tagged ‘PBS’

Bill Shribman is a photographer and a Senior Executive Producer at WGBH Public Television – you know, the folks who make all those great kids shows? They also make the apps to go with those shows, and in this TEDx Boston presentation, Bill gives a great talk about how his passion for getting kids to learn visually has informed many of the wonderful apps his team has produced.

PBS, in a continued effort to appeal to the next generation of children who are inundated in pop culture and technology, has again commissioned musician John Boswell to re-imagine a classic PBS show. This time around, a living PBS superstar gets the auto-tune treatment: Levar Burton, star of Reading Rainbow. Previously, Julia Childs, Fred Rogers and Bob Ross received the auto-tune treatment, to much fanfare and excitement.

The latest, in the same vein as the previous three, features Levar Burton electronically singing some of his most recognized phrases and bits from Reading Rainbow. The iconic program is still running today and has even released a recent iPad app so your kids can take learning to read on the go.

If you enjoyed the video and enjoy PBS educational programming, please don’t forget to support your local PBS station: http://www.pbs.org/donate

I was hesitant to watch the new Ken Burns‘ produced documentary, The Dust Bowl. I knew it would be excellent viewing but I’d also watched History Channel’s The Black Blizzardand I knew the story was going to be tragic and terrible.

And it is. But the last half of the film and the final chapters of the excellent companion book told a story I hadn’t heard before, about how the grasslands were reclaimed from the dust, the part played by the U.S Government in restoring the area, and about the possible future of the heartland, where perhaps another man-made problem may yet cause a disaster. Continue Reading “The Dust Bowl: Chilling and Intense” »

PBS, while the home of many iconic television shows and educational programs, has always struggled with staying relevant. While we may have grown up with Mr. Rogers and his lessons on friendship, many have simply become apathetic towards the publicly funded network. Some politicians have even promised to cut funding for public broadcasting, which would be detrimental to say the least.

Recently, though, Mr. Rogers has gone viral. Artist Bob Ross is painting happy little trees again, and Julia Child is still cooking. That’s because PBS Digital Studios has brought them back for a 21st-century audience. The deceased stars of many adults’ favorite PBS shows of yore have been auto-tuned, remixed and re-cut by musician John Boswell of Bellingham, Washington. He was approached by Jason Seiken, co-founder of PBS Digital Studios, who revealed his motives to the Boston Herald:

“PBS sometimes … gets criticized for being peas and carrots or being appealing only to your mind, and I don’t think that’s true. What we wanted to do with these videos was make sure they provoked people to think, but at the same time touch their hearts.”

The three videos: “Garden of Your Mind,” “Happy Little Trees” and “Keep On Cooking” have certainly reached the viral state that so many YouTubers hope for, bringing PBS into the social media limelight. The traditionally stale network (sorry PBS) has certainly needed the boost. The messages of each star are clearly communicated in the videos, while remaining quite entertaining. I know I personally have favorited and listened to the Bob Ross video numerous times, as growing up he was one of my favorite art related shows.

The latest video, “Keep on Cooking” was posted as a timely tribute to Julia Child on her birthday and is already up to over a half-million views. She has some catching up to do, as Mister Rogers is somewhere over 6 million.

If you haven’t already seen the videos, all three are posted here for your viewing pleasure, and of course, please support your local PBS station: http://www.pbs.org/donate

PBS Kids‘ history of producing strong and purposeful learning content for children has continued into the mobile space. With a series of quality apps aligned to PBS Kids programs like Super Why, Arthur and Dinosaur Train, it is setting up a platform that demonstrates how to convert existing content and characters into digital content that both respects the mobile space, but also the children who will be engaging with it.

Overall, the design of each app reflects the nature of the characters and show to which it is aligned. The apps have not been squeezed into the same format, and the learning process of children is considered and designed into apps that have appropriate prompts, audio and visual for the different age groups for which the apps are developed.

To further understand and capture how PBS Kids goes about developing its interactive, mobile content, GeekDad interviewed PBS Kids Interactive vice president Sara DeWitt about the process and about what PBS is trying to achieve with its suite of mobile apps.

GeekDad: PBS covers such a broad space; can you talk to the breadth of interactive media for kids?

Sara DeWitt: At PBS Kids we look for learning opportunities in every new technology. The technology landscape is changing so rapidly, which gives us exciting ways to innovate, extend our mission and grow our relevance. Just as we did with television in the 1960s, PBS Kids is now looking at new platforms and saying, “How can we use this to create age-appropriate, educational content to engage kids and help them prepare for success in school and in life?”

It’s been a while, but GeekJack is back! This time, he’s reviewing the PBS KIDS sidescroller app for iPhone and iPod, D.W.’s Unicorn Adventure. Watch as Jack helps D.W. save a lost unicorn using the power of rainbow foods – playing through a series of worlds to choose healthy, “energy-packed” snacks and avoid energy-draining junk foods! Sa-weet! Wired, Tired or Expired? Be sure check out Jack’s verdict at the end of the vid.

Our household has always had a kind of special connection with PBS’ Arthur, because it’s one of the first kids’ shows I remember specifically sitting down to watch with my daughter. The show debuted in September 1996, so it’s almost the same age as my daughter herself – although she’s in high school now, while Arthur’s still in Mr. Ratburn’s class at Lakewood Elementary.

I’ve written before about what makes Arthur a great show for geeklets, so when Mike Wood at WGBH in Boston sent me a note about the show kicking off its 15th season today (there was a full year break from April 2005 to May 2006), I thought it would be fun to round up a list of the 15 geekiest episodes so far. Mike sent his list of suggestions, and then my daughter and I tweaked it with our own favorites and settled on the following:

15: Team Trouble – Arthur, his best friend Buster, and their classmate Francine decide to do their group project on Ancient Rome in comic book form.

14: The World of Tomorrow – During the school sleepover at the science museum (I know: Awesome, right?), Classmate Binky Barnes stars in a classic “dream trip to the future” storyline.

Our household has always had a kind of special connection with PBS’ Arthur, because it’s one of the first kids’ shows I remember specifically sitting down to watch with my daughter. The show debuted in September 1996, so it’s almost the same age as my daughter herself – although she’s in high school now, while Arthur’s still in Mr. Ratburn’s class at Lakewood Elementary.

I’ve written before about what makes Arthur a great show for geeklets, so when Mike Wood at WGBH in Boston sent me a note about the show kicking off its 15th season today (there was a full year break from April 2005 to May 2006), I thought it would be fun to round up a list of the 15 geekiest episodes so far. Mike sent his list of suggestions, and then my daughter and I tweaked it with our own favorites and settled on the following:

15: Team Trouble – Arthur, his best friend Buster, and their classmate Francine decide to do their group project on Ancient Rome in comic book form.

14: The World of Tomorrow – During the school sleepover at the science museum (I know: Awesome, right?), Classmate Binky Barnes stars in a classic “dream trip to the future” storyline.

As part of Autism Awareness Month, Robert MacNeil returns to PBS NewsHour with a 6-part series to look at autism today. MacNeil, who has an autistic grandson named Nick, will explore the autism issue from the latest thinking on causes, the treatments, and the effect on families who are looking for answers.

This is the first time in his career as a reporter that MacNeil has included his family in a story. MacNeil said his grandson Nick “moved him deeply” and that is why he wanted to include Nick in this important series.

MacNeil and producer Caren Zucker, who has a 16-year-old son with autism, traveled to different locations where research on causes, treatments, and policy decisions are being made. The series is about their findings, as well as the stories of parents with children and adults that have autism.

Monday, April 18An introduction to Nick and autism as a whole body experience: MacNeil introduces us to his daughter and his grandson Nick so we can see firsthand how autism affects the family. Nick’s sister Neely is there to help shed light on how siblings are affected. The idea of autism not only being a brain development issue but a whole body experience is also explored.

Tuesday, April 19Autism Prevalence: why are the numbers of children with autism increasing? MacNeil goes to the MIND Institute in Sacramento to learn about the wide range of behaviors that make up the autism spectrum. Then two views are presented as to the cause of the rise in autism. Anthropologist Richard Grinker argues the autism diagnosis is being used for disorders that were formerly known by different names. Scientist Irva Hertz-Picciotto will discuss how environmental issues along with reclassification have also increased the number of cases.

Wednesday, April 20Autism Causes: The increased number of autism cases has given rise to an increase in the reported causes of autism. MacNeil speaks with four of the leading researchers in this field to discuss their work.

Thursday, April 21 Autism Treatment: The burden of treating autism falls on the school system. Education is the main form of treatment and in this installment MacNeil visits two schools in New York, a public school in the Bronx teaching 700 children with autism and a charter school in Manhattan as a model of possibilities in educating children with autism. With only 30 students, the Manhattan school can use one-on-one teacher/student ratios employing intensive Applied Behavioral Analysis, the gold standard treatment for autism.

Monday, April 25Adults with Autism: MacNeil profiles Zachary Hamrick in Mahwah, New Jersey, about to turn 21, as his family contemplates the uncertain future now facing hundreds of thousands of young people like him.

Tuesday, April 26 Autism Policy: The NewsHour series ends with a discussion of the public policy issues raised in the series, including the enormous discrepancy in the quality and availability of services for children and future adults in what the federal committee that determines research priorities for autism now calls a “national health emergency.”

I know firsthand the difficulties facing parents and children with spectrum disorders. My son David was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when he was 6 years old. He’s 16 now and early intervention helped. What we found hard, though, was getting information — and a series like this can help shed light on new ideas and treatments.

The series begins tonight on your local PBS station. Check your local listings for times. For more resources and a video of the first installment see the PBS NewHour Autism Now website.